Practioner Professional Development (PPD) Admissions Guide

This Application Guide should be used to assist prospective students in preparing their application
for the PPD programme offered by Cambridge University. It supports the work of admissions staff
and partner organisations in relation to the PPD programme’s admissions process.

All PPD applicants should read this document before submitting an application.

1 Admissions Statement
The University of Cambridge, Faculty of Education is committed to the highest standards of
research and teaching and is a significant contributor to the improvement of educational policy
and practice in partnership with schools, colleges and other educational agencies both in the UK
and internationally. We welcome applications from those students who have the relevant work
experience and/ or academic potential and motivation to succeed on the PPD programme.

For further details on the University of Cambridge’s Admissions policy please see the Graduate
Admissions website

2 Responsibilities of the Applicant

In order to process applications in a fair and effective manner, we place certain obligations upon
the applicant as follows;
To provide complete and accurate information as required on the application form. It
should be noted that the principle method of communication used throughout the
admissions process will be by email so applicants should ensure this information in
particular, is correct at all times.
To update the PPD Administrator (ppd@educ.cam.ac.uk) if any information provided
should change.
Where required, to attend an interview in order to assess suitability for the course.
If offered a place, to reply promptly to positively accept or decline the offer no less than
four weeks before the start of the course.
To provide evidence of any qualifications/ experience referenced to support an
application

3 What the Applicant can expect from us

We aim to make our approach to the admission of PPD students;
Transparent
Fair
Consistent
Accessible
Professional, and
Timely
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 All personal data will be handled confidentially and in compliance with the Data Protection Act.

4 Admission to study on the PPD programme

4.1 The PPD Programme
The Cambridge University Faculty of Education Postgraduate Professional Development
programme offers opportunities for education professionals to develop high levels of
understanding and skills which relate directly to the policy and practice of the contexts in which
they work. This programme involves studying at Master’s level and it is therefore necessary
that applicants demonstrate the potential to work at this level (see QAA Framework for higher
education qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
http://www.qaa.ac.uk/Publications/InformationAndGuidance/Documents/FHEQ08.pdf).
However, since the PPD programme is aimed at practising professionals, professional
experience and engagement are recognised as alternatives to recent academic qualifications as
indicating the potential for working at Master’s level.
Entry requirements for the programme are designed to ensure that candidates have a good
chance of successfully completing the programme while not limiting recruitment to only those
with strong academic backgrounds.

4.2 Entry Requirements

Applicants should:
4.2.1 Have relevant experience of working in an education or related professional setting.
4.2.2 Demonstrate a reflective and enquiring approach to their work which supports improvement in
professional practice and/or policy.
4.2.3 Demonstrate the ability to work independently and collaboratively with the support of Faculty
supervision
4.2.4 Demonstrate a willingness and ability to engage with academic and professional literature that
will support empirical and/or literature-based enquiry into policy and/or practice.

It should be noted that Accredited Prior Learning (APL) (i.e. credits gained from other
institutions) are not accepted to gain accelerated entry to the PPD programme, although these
credits can be considered as part of an applicant’s entry qualifications to support the
application, if considered relevant.

4.3 Demonstration of Requirements

The PPD application form asks for information relating to the requirements specified above.
Applicants are given the opportunity to demonstrate that they meet requirements 4.2.2 and
4.2.3 through a personal statement and a proposal for the intended enquiry. Demonstration of
requirements 4.2.1 to 4.2.3 should be supported by a professional reference from a senior
colleague in an education context.

Since work produced for the PPD programme will be assessed at Master’s level, it is particularly
important that candidates demonstrate requirement 4.2.4. This may be through the following
academic qualifications:
A good honours degree
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 A PGCE assessed at Master’s level
Recent (within three years) completion of professional qualifications at level six or above
Overseas qualifications equivalent to the above (For an assessment of overseas
qualifications contact National Academic Recognition Centre for the United Kingdom)
Non-English speaking overseas applicants may also require an IELTS qualification with a
minimum score of 7 in each element.

Requirement 4.2.4 may alternatively be demonstrated through professional writing, for example:
Professional documentation, e.g. policy documents for a school or group of schools,
substantial reports on present practice within or between schools, etc.
Publications in professional journals or other forms of professional communication.
Reviews of education publications.

Demonstration of requirement 4.2.4 should be supported by production of the relevant certificates

and/or by an academic reference from a course tutor, publication editor or senior colleague who is
able to comment on academic capability.

We welcome applications from students who have applied to a PPD course previously and were
unsuccessful, but in these cases applicants must be able to demonstrate a change in their
circumstances that improve their suitability for the course, e.g. further qualification or experience in
order to support their new application. The faculty reserves the right to use information from a
previous application in assessing a re-application and to seek further evidence of ability to follow this
course if it deems necessary.

4.4 Students who have previously studied on the PPD programme

In 2012 the PPD Programme was re-structured. As such, students who have already completed
either (i) two 60 hour Postgraduate Certificates in Professional Study or (ii) a Postgraduate
Certificate in Educational Research prior to October 2012 (and who will be able to complete the
Diploma within the four year time frame) will be permitted up to 2 years from the start of the
academical year 2012-13 to take the elements they need from the new awards to achieve a 90-
credit Postgraduate Diploma. From the academical year 2014-15 all students are expected to be
studying on the Faculty's new PPD structure and working towards the Postgraduate Advanced
Certificate in Educational Studies. Applications from previous PPD students should be made in the
usual way but applicants should ensure that their previous credits are clearly indicated on the
application form.

5 How to apply

5.1 Which PPD route?

Students can elect one of the four routes (see Appendix A) through the PPD programme. Students
work through the modules and accumulate credit. They can then choose at which stage to exit and
collect a qualification. The qualification awarded will depend on the amount of credit gained. On
completing 90 credits students will be offered one of three options:
a) Exit with a qualification of Postgraduate Advanced Certificate in Educational Studies.
b) Continue on the programme and complete a further 30 credit module and exit with a
Postgraduate Diploma in Educational Studies.
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 c) Use the 90 credits to apply to be admitted to the second year of the MEd (there is no
automatic right to continue). If they are unsuccessful in their applications, options (b) and
(c) above would remain available to them.
The Faculty requires that students wishing to obtain the MEd complete the full route within five
years. All awards are at FHEQ Level 7. Research training is embedded within the modules (with
the exception of the Counselling courses).
Please note that once a student has chosen to exit the PPD programme and realise their credit
with the award of a qualification, they cannot then re-enter the programme and have their
award revoked in order to use the credits towards a higher qualification. However, credit
gained on the PPD programme remains valid for a four year period.

5.2 The Application form

Applicants should download the application form available on the faculty website here. All sections
should be populated as incomplete applications may not be considered. Completed forms should be
emailed to ppd@educ.cam.ac.uk. Applicants should note that the main method of contact
throughout the application process will be email so it is important that email details are correct on
the application form.
If application forms are handwritten, applicants should ensure that they are populated in block
capitals and are legible.

5.2.1 References
Applicants are asked to provide contact details for two Referees (preferably at least one who is able
to comment on the academic potential of the candidate). The Referees should be able to comment
on the applicant’s suitability to study on the PPD programme. It is the applicant’s responsibility to
ensure that references are sent on headed paper (or with an attached business card) to the PPD
Administrator (ppd@educ.cam.ac.uk) independently to the application form.

References should include the following information;

How long the referee has known the applicant
In what context the referee knows the applicant
Suitability of the applicant for the course applied for
If the applicant’s native language is not English, the referee should comment on applicant’s
fluency and proficiency, particularly in relation to academic work.
As PPD courses are part time, references should comment on the applicant’s ability to
manage different responsibilities.

5.2.2 Personal Statement

In approximately 500 words or less applicants should provide a statement outlining why they have
applied for the course and what they hope to gain from it. This is particularly important when
applying for a course of individual enquiry. In this instance, applicants should provide details of their
proposed area of enquiry, why this interests them and how they intend to pursue these studies. This
information can then be used to find a suitable supervisor for the individual study.

5.3 Application Deadlines

Application deadlines are published on the website here. Please be aware that applications received
after the course deadline may not be considered. Early application is advisable as PPD courses can
be extremely popular and are sometimes full before the published application deadline.

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6 What Happens Next?
The application process is outlined below

Application received by
PPD Administrator

Acknowledgement sent
to applicant

Applicant may be Application sent to

invited to attend an PPD Course Manager
interview
for further
consideration
Decision on application sent to PPD
Administrator

Decision sent to Applicant with

relevant course information
informationinformation
Course Managers are responsible for assessing all applications and making a decision on admission.
Applications will be assessed on their own merit and, in some cases in competition with other
applications to the same course. As such there may be a delay in conveying application decisions to
allow applications to be considered together. Some PPD courses (e.g. Counselling Diploma and
individual enquiry) may require attendance at an interview, where an action plan is discussed. In
these cases, applicants will be notified of the interview arrangements by the PPD Administrator. If
applicants are overseas at the time of interview, Skype interviews may be arranged.

7 Our Decision
We aim to make a decision on an application within six to eight weeks of receipt of application, but
where an interview is required or where applications need to be considered as a group, additional
delays may be incurred. Applications will be assessed for suitability for the course applied for. In
cases of individual enquiry, offers are also based upon the availability of an appropriate supervisor.

Applicants who are offered a place will be issued a formal letter by email. This will include further
course information such as start date and fees (also available on the website). Depending upon the
timing of the offer in relation to the start of the course, the letter may be accompanied by detailed
course materials and starters information, or, if appropriate, these may be sent at a later date.

In some cases, the Course Manager may advise an alternative route for the applicant in the PPD
Programme. In this instance the alternative course may be offered to the applicant for further
consideration.

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Applicants who are offered a place on the PPD Programme are expected to indicate whether they
wish to take up the place offered in writing (by email) no less than four weeks before the start of the
course. Any applicants who fail to do so may lose their place on the course.

In cases where the applicant is unsuccessful in their application to the PPD programme, the
applicant will be issued a formal letter by email. The Faculty cannot give reasons for not offering
admission, nor advise applicants how to improve an application. It should be noted that the Course
Manager’s decision on any application is final and appeals cannot be made on academic judgement.
Appeals may only be made on procedural grounds where the applicant feels they have been treated
unfairly during the admissions process.

The University reserves the right to withdraw any offer made if it is found that an application has
contained fraudulent or misleading information, or which has omitted information likely to have
affected the admissions decision.

8 Deferrals
Applicants who have been offered a place on a PPD course may request that their offer can be
deferred to the intake immediately after the one they were originally offered admission to. Such
requests will be considered by the Course Manager. Applicants should not presume that an offer of
admission for one intake guarantees an offer for a future intake. Students should also be aware that
not all taught PPD courses run every academic year so deferrals are not always available. The
decision of the Course Manager is final on matters of deferral.

9 Progression to MEd
PPD students who have successfully completed 90 credits on the PPD programme are eligible to
apply to enter the second year of the MEd and to complete the MEd in a further year of part time
study. MEd applications are dealt with separately and further information on this can be found on
the faculty website here.

10 Disability Support
We welcome applications from students with disabilities and are committed to making reasonable
adjustments where necessary, in order to provide an accessible and supportive environment for
students with additional requirements. Further details of the University’s Disability Policy are
available here.

11 Equality and Diversity

The University policy on Equality and Diversity is available on the website here

12 International Students
Although we welcome applications from International students all PPD courses are part time so we
are unable to support applications for a Tier 4 visa. Therefore, international students are required to
provide evidence of an alternative visa that would permit study on the PPD course applied for in the
UK. Overseas fees are published on the website available here.

13 Criminal Convictions
Applicants are requested to declare any criminal convictions on the application form. This
information will be assessed for potential risk of harm to others (staff, fellow students and external
parties where relevant) by the Course Manager with appropriate professional input, if required.

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14 Complaints procedure
If the applicant feels they have been mistreated during the admissions process, they can put their
concerns in writing to the PPD Administrator at ppd@educ.cam.ac.uk. We aim to deal with any
complaint as quickly and sensitively as possible. Procedures will normally be completed within eight
weeks of receipt.

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 Exit Point Exit Point Exit/Admission Point Exit Point Exit Point
APPENDIX A

PPD Module

120 credits
Route 1
(16,000 words)

PPD Module PPD Module PPD Module

30 credits 60 credits 30 credits

Route 2
(4,000 words) (8,000 words) (4,000 words) MEd Year 2

PPD Module PPD Module PPD Module PPD Module

(20,000 word thesis)
30 credits 30 credits 30 credits 30 credits
Route 3
(4,000 words) (4,000 words) (4,000 words) (4,000 words)

PPD Module

90 credits
Route 4
(12,000 words)

Exit Qualification: Exit Qualification: Exit Qualification: Exit Qualification: Exit Qualification:

Postgraduate Award in
Educational Studies
(PAES)
Postgraduate Certificate
in Educational Studies
(PCES)
Postgraduate Advanced Postgraduate Diploma in Masters of Education
Certificate in Educational Educational Studies (PDES)
180 credits
Studies (PACES)
120 credits
90 credits

30 credits 60 credits ADMISSION POINT TO

MED YEAR 2
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